Abiodun Olayinka was born and bred in the ancient city of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. He had his primary, secondary and tertiary academic training in Ibadan. He attended the famous Government College Ibadan and later got enrolled into the Agricultural Technology Program (Ordinary National Diploma) of the Federal College of Agriculture, Ibadan. He proceeded to the prestigious University of Ibadan, Ibadan and graduated from the Department of Crop Protection and Environmental Biology with honours as the best graduating student. His passion for crop improvement and genetics prompted his return to the University of Ibadan in 2013 for a Master's degree in Environmental Biology (Genetics).
His exposure and training at the Africa Rice Center for his Master's degree project where he was incorporated into the upland rice genetic resource program under the tutelage of renowned upland rice breeder; Dr. Mande Semon made him yarn for more. The field experience gained while screening some F 2:3 rice (Oryza sativa L.) progenies obtained from reciprocal crosses for drought stress at reproductive stage and academic training received from his project supervisor; Dr. Christopher Olumuyiwa Ilori of blessed memory gave him the leverage to work as a Research Associate in Africa Rice Center after his Master's program.
Furthermore, he got to know about the Ph.D. in plant breeding scholarship offered by the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) University of Ghana, Legon in 2014 from his colleagues and he desired to be a beneficiary of the laudable program. However, after 5 consecutive years of applying to the enviable program, his dream finally came true via the platform created by WACCI/DAAD scholarship in 2020.
His Ph.D. research will address the development of transcriptomic markers, useful for cost reduction in genomic selection and also, fast-track the improvement of composite traits in cassava.